Felix Feliksovich Yusupov is a contradictory and ambiguous person who went down in Russian history as the last representative of the great princely family and the murderer of Grigory Rasputin.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov: biography
Felix Yusupov was born on March 23, 1987 in St. Petersburg. His mother, Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, was one of the most enviable brides of the Russian Empire. Not only compatriots, but also foreign representatives of the aristocracy dreamed of becoming related to a rich and famous family. Even representatives of European monarchical families wooed husbands, but Zinaida Nikolaevna, surprisingly to everyone, chose officer Felix Sumarokov-Elston as her husband. After marriage, the emperor was presented with a princely title and the opportunity to change his surname to the surname of his wife.
Felix was born the fourth child in the family. The two older children died in infancy, and the younger brother Nikolai, at the time of Felix's birth, was 5 years old. The mother really wanted the girl, so at a young age she dressed the boy in girlish clothes. The mother's peculiar whim left an imprint on the boy's character. The vice of dressing up in women's outfits subsequently pursued the young man for a long time.
Felix's early years were spent in love and luxury. Being the favorite of his mother, he knew nothing of refusal. The famous artist V. Serov, while working on the portrait of the 16-year-old prince, spoke of him as, rather, a very eccentric youth.
The mother made every effort so that her son received an education worthy of a princely family, but science was difficult for the young man. Nevertheless, under the patronage of his mother, he enters the University of Oxford. There, with his characteristic enthusiasm, he organizes a Russian-speaking society and an elite automobile club.
Upon graduation and arrival in Russia, Felix becomes an enviable groom. Although the prince's behavior is very embarrassing to the public, he is often seen as a guest in brothels, moreover, dressed in women's outfits. The issue of the prince's bisexuality was actively discussed in society.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov: personal life
Everything changed in 1908, when his elder brother Nikolai died in a duel. Felix becomes the heir to a huge fortune and the last representative of the princely family. This responsibility to his family and the monarchy has a huge impact on him. Celebration and youthful courage are a thing of the past. In 1914, the prince married Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, niece of Emperor Nicholas II.
The newlyweds spend their honeymoon in Europe, where the First World War catches up with them. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, Felix Feliksovich, together with his wife, organizes a hospital for the seriously wounded. In 1915, daughter Irina is born into the Yusupov family. Emperor Nicholas II and his mother Maria Feodorovna become godparents of the girls.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov: the murder of Rasputin
Grigory Rasputin was considered by many to be the culprit of the troubles of the Russian Empire. The influence of the elder on the royal family was enormous; not a single decision of the sovereign could do without his advice. That is why many representatives of noble families conspired to eliminate Rasputin. Among them is Felix Yusupov, in Rasputin he sees an enemy of the state. Together with his brother-in-law Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov and deputy Vladimirov Purishkevich, he organizes the murder of the elder. The tragic event takes place in the prince's house on December 17, 1916. Grigory Rasputin was poisoned and subsequently shot. The shot was fired by Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov: life in exile
During the revolution in 1919, Felix, along with his family and representatives of the Romanov family, left Russia. Initially, the Yusupov family lives in London, then moves to Paris. With the funds received from the sale of heirlooms, they are engaged in charity work and are actively helping Russian emigrants. In 1920, the Yusupovs opened the Irfe fashion house, but the business was unsuccessful.
In 1932 the film "Rasputin and the Empress" was released. In the plot of the picture, the wife of Felix Feliksovich, Irina Alexandrovna, is represented by the elder's mistress. The Yusupov family is filing a lawsuit against the MGM film studio and proves that this interpretation is libel. After this event in Hollywood, it becomes customary at the beginning of the film to indicate that all events with real people are coincidence and fiction.
During the Second World War, Felix Yusupov flatly refuses to cooperate with the Nazis. Throughout their life in emigration, the family is engaged in charity work and helping compatriots. Harmony and tranquility reign in their apartment on the outskirts of Paris.
At the age of 80, in 1967, Felix Yusupov died. Three years later, at the age of 74, his faithful companion Irina Alexandrovna Romanova died. The couple lived a long and interesting life together. Their marriage became an example of like-mindedness, love and loyalty to family and state.
